How to Get the Kids to Sleep on Christmas Eve

It's hard enough to get the kids to sleep on a normal night. But on Christmas Eve, it can be impossible. The kids are all super excited for presents and their schedules are thrown off course thanks to the holidays. So while they're bouncing off the walls in anticipation of Santa's impending visit, Mom and Dad are feeling a bit like this:

Is it over yet?

Just when you're at your most exhausted during the holiday rush, the kids are at their most excitable. How on earth can you get them to settle down and for the love of gawd, go the squeak to sleep?

At RoosterFin Games, we love it when the kids are happy, but we also sympthatize with tired parents everywhere. Below, we've put together a list of a couple of things you can try to get the kids to sleep at a reasonable hour this Christmas Eve.

1. Tire Them Out

If your schedule allows, you could try to tire your kids out on Christmas Eve. Start a new family tradition on Christmas Eve by doing an outdoor activity or something else that's physically active that will wear the kids out.

Laser Tag

Hide and Go Seek

Capture the Flag

Ice Skating

Build Snowmen

Snowball Fight

Bait the Reindeer

Have you ever made reindeer food? It's a simple recipe of dry rolled oats and glitter thrown in for good measure. On Christmas Eve, have the kids sprinkle the reindeer food around the yard.

Also, it's a good idea to do the outdoor activities earlier in the afternoon, and plan for quieter, low-energy activities as the day wanes. This will help you avoid overstimulating the kids too close to bedtime. Roosterfin card games and board games will keep the children entertained without getting them too wound-up close to bed time.

2. Follow the Usual Bedtime Routine

Your normal schedule might be seriously thrown out of whack for the holidays and it can be incredibly difficult to stick your usual bedtime routine. But having a plan and a schedule, communicating it to your children, and sticking to it can prevent them from getting too energetic on Christmas Eve.

Are you having relatives stay over for the holidays? Talk to them about the children's bedtime routine so they aren't accidentally getting them all wound up or worse, feeding them sugar-laden sweets late in the evening. Also, talk to your kids about the plan for Christmas Eve, for example:

"After we set out the reindeer food, we'll take our bath, set out Santa's cookies and milk, read a story, and go to sleep."

When you let them know what is going to happen and what's expected of them beforehand, it can help them accept that even though it is an exciting time, they still need to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Plus, if your kids are used to going to bed at 8 pm, but they stay up until 10 pm on Christmas Eve, they can be groggy, sluggish, and downright miserable on Christmas.

3. Bring Out the Big Guns

If nothing is working to calm your kids down on Christmas Eve, you can bring out the big guns. If they still believe in Santa, you can tell them that Santa won't be able to come to the house if everyone is awake. No sleep? Then no Santa.

We hope these tips and pointers will help you have a more enjoyable, less stressful holiday! Have a Merry Christmas and see you in 2019!